Politics in Action: Wolves, Snowmobiles, and Bison and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

In: PS: political science & politics, Band 41, Heft 1, S. 193-206

Abstract

Faculty are always grappling with how to get their students to
actively participate in learning about politics. Interest in active
learning, service learning, and other pedagogical approaches
demonstrate this concern. At the same time we are witnessing a
parallel and related mission promoting civic engagement. For
example, the American Association of State Colleges and
Universities' American Democracy Project has a civic engagement
series in which it collaborates with campuses across the United
States to encourage increased political participation and civic
awareness of topics such as the stewardship of public lands and jury
service, to name a few. What can instructors do in the classroom to
bring these learning methods together and accomplish these goals? We
suggest that outlining and describing the political dynamics of
interest group activity in an interesting issue area, and then
requiring students to advocate on behalf of these interests in class
role-play scenarios and other exercises, help to accomplish active
learning, which may lead to greater civic engagement. The authors thank Michael J. Yochim for his
insightful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript and
George L. Mehaffy, vice president for Academic Leadership and
Change at the American Association of State Colleges and
Universities and the founder of the American Democracy Project,
for organizing our visit to Yellowstone National Park.